GMLP Blogger Bios
Sarah Berkowitz, the third of five children, was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She followed in her mother’s footsteps and moved north after high school to attend University of Wisconsin-Madison. Graduating in 2008 with a degree in English, she left school with a variety of journalism and mass communications courses also under her belt.
Sarah spent a semester studying abroad in the Czech Republic, arguably the best time of her life, where she had the opportunity to learn about cross-cultural mass media and political propaganda during the Communist Era.
Back at home, she spent time writing features for a daily newspaper on campus and worked in the publicity department at the university’s publishing house. Her curiosity in political matters and the evolving cultural industries, particularly in music, books, and journalism, have propelled her interest in Media Literacy.
With a thirst for more sunny than snowy days, Sarah moved back to St. Louis after graduation. She joined Gateway Media Literacy Partners in early 2009 to assist in the planning of Media Literacy Week 2009. She is now a proud GMLP Blogger and member of the Development and Communication Committees.
Mary Pat Gallagher was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She grew up primarily in University City, where on warm summer evenings while the “grown-ups” visited on their front porches, the kids played hide-and-go-seek, kick the can, and caught fireflies. Mary Pat’s mother, a music and performing arts fan, exposed Mary Pat to a wide-variety of music, TV shows, and live theatre. Her father, an avid walker and gardner, instilled in her the value of the natural world and just how rewarding putting in a summer garden can be!
A 23-year career educator, Mary Pat has taught in a wide-variety of academic settings. Her work at KETC Channel 9 in the Outreach & Education Department inspired her to learn more about media production, and the impact of media usage and exposure on children and families. In May 2009 she completed her Master’s degree in Media Literacy from Webster University. She strongly believes that all children should be taught media literacy skills when they are young, just as they are taught how to read, ride a bike, and eat their fruits and veggies. Healthy habits begin early!
Mary Pat and her family live in University City. Most early mornings you will see her walking with her exercise buddy Donna, and her yellow lab Finbar. When she is not out taking photographs, she is at the Chase or Tivoli catching a new release.
Andrew Allen Smith teaches Media Literacy at Lindenwood University and also teaches History of Film at Webster University. Andrew has been enthralled with popular culture from a very young age, and continually seeks to analyze its impact on our contemporary society.
Amy VanDeVelde was raised in West Central Illinois where she enjoyed a steady diet of 70’s television and popular FM radio programming. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Illinois State University and minored in Recreation and Park Administration.Her work at ISU included a semester in Austria completing a cross-cultural comparative media analysis. Amy landed a job in Chicago and began a career in Corporate Training and Employee Development.
She began to consider the impact of media messages and stress on her own well-being during a cross-country move and began to practice media fasts. Once her first child arrived she had little time for media after her duties as a mother, wife and professional were complete. Amy’s focus then shifted to media exposure on children and society at large which prompted her to study data from the growing Media Literacy movement.
Amy now lives in the St. Louis area with her husband and children. She offers educational seminars, corporate training, consulting services and writing related to media literacy, critical thinking, effective communication and well being.